1. Field of the invention
The invention relates to a facsimile apparatus capable of transmitting data through a communication route via an internet and/or a public communication switched network not via an internet.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the case of transmission of an urgent matter to a receiver having a terminal apparatus capable of receiving a transmission via the internet and a facsimile apparatus that receives a transmission through a public communication switched network, the transmission to the facsimile apparatus can immediately reach the receiving person, provided that the receiver is near the facsimile apparatus at the time of transmission. Similarly, the e-mail transmission via the internet can immediately reach the receiver, provided that the receiver is near the terminal apparatus at the moment.
Therefore, the sender must transmit the data of the urgent matter to the receiver by both facsimile transmission and e-mail, that is, by transmitting the data via one of the two communication routes, and switching to the other communication route after confirming the completion of transmission through the first communication route, and then transmitting the same data via the other communication route, according to the conventional art.
However, to transmit data from a conventional facsimile apparatus serially through two communication routes as described above, the conventional facsimile apparatus (such as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publications Nos. 8-242326 and 9-149189) requires the sender to manually switch from one communication route to the other. Therefore, the sender cannot leave the facsimile apparatus before switching the communication routes subsequent to the end of the transmission through the first communication route. The conventional facsimile apparatus thus requires a considerable amount of time and labor of the sender to send a message via both routes.
Thus, although the memory format of the address information disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 5 of the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-149189, has a structure to register a telephone number or e-mail address for every address, when the same address is capable of performing fax communication by using either route, i.e., via the public line network or an internet, there is a problem in that the designation of the phone number and the e-mail address had to be operated separately for the same addressee as discussed above.
A further problem in the conventional apparatus is that when a telephone number is provided for the addressee and facsimile transmission is performed, when the facsimile transmission cannot be carried out even though redialing is repeated the number of times established for the country in which the facsimile apparatus is installed, the redialing ends, and the operator must again initiate an operation for facsimile transmission.
Additionally, when performing a facsimile transmission via the internet, when facsimile information, that has been converted to electronic mail, does not arrive at the receiver for some reason, a non-delivery notification is returned as electronic mail. In this case, too, the sender must repeat the operation for the facsimile transmission.
Further, when performing facsimile transmission via the internet, when the facsimile apparatus is connected to the internet via a specified server, the user must confirm whether the electronic mail indicating non-delivery has arrived at the server and, if non-delivery is the case, the operator must repeat the transmission operation.
Additionally, when facsimile transmission is to be performed via the internet and the transmission does not arrive at the receiver or addressee, even if the device is provided with a retry function that automatically retransmits, the number of retries is determined by the number of redials set when using the public communication switched network.
Thus, in a conventional facsimile apparatus that corresponds via the internet, when the image information does not arrive at the receiver due to some kind of trouble in the transmission method that is initially chosen, the sender must perform an operation necessary to retransmit the information. Moreover, since there are limits to the number of retries, the rate of image information arriving at the receiver cannot be improved.
A solution to the problem of requiring the operator to sequentially send the data via facsimile using the telephone number and the Internet using the e-mail address is to use a one-touch button or buttons.
However, there may be a problem in that an operation of selecting whether the data transmission is to be performed as a facsimile to the telephone number or via the Internet to the e-mail address only when the addressee has been designated by the one-touch button. For example, when the message is urgent it may be desirable to transmit the data via both routes, however, when sending a confidential document it may be desired to limit the selection of the transmission route to the public communication switched network. In such a case, an automatic one-touch button is inappropriate.
To address these problems and provide a facsimile apparatus that provides the greatest flexibility to the operator, the invention provides the capability of setting a priority for the communication route, provides for automatic switching to the second communication route when the first, or priority, route is unsuccessful, or provides for transmission over both communication routes should it be essential the receiver, or addressee, receives the message as soon as possible. These capabilities may be chosen and used individually or in combination.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a facsimile apparatus that facilitates the operations necessary for a user to perform in order to transmit image information read from a document by an image reading device through the two communication routes.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a facsimile apparatus including a public line facsimile transmission means that executes a facsimile transmission via a public communication switched network when a telephone number is designated as an address, an internet facsimile transmission means that executes a facsimile transmission via the internet when an e-mail address is designated as an address, an address information registration means that is structured so that the telephone number and the e-mail address for an addressee can be registered for a plurality of addressees, and which, when registering the telephone number and e-mail address of an addressee, also registers a priority order unique to each addressee that determines which communication route is the priority route when the addressee is selected as the facsimile receiving party, an addressee selecting means that selects a desired addressee among the plurality of addressees that are registered by the address information registration means, and a transmission route determining means that determines whether to perform a facsimile transmission by using the public communication switched network or by using the internet facsimile transmission means in accordance with the priority order of the addressee that is selected by the addressee selecting means.
Thus, when performing the address registration, in addition to the telephone number and the e-mail address, it is possible to register information identifying which of the telephone number or the e-mail address of an addressee is the priority communication route. Therefore, when a facsimile transmission using the public communication switched network is the normal way of communicating with an addressee, that communication route will be automatically selected by the transmission route determining means in accordance with the registration content of the unique priority order, and the facsimile sent to the addressee. Conversely, if the e-mail address is the priority address, then selection of the addressee will automatically result in selection and sending the data via the internet.
The facsimile apparatus of the invention further includes a priority order changing means that changes the unique priority order that is registered for each addressee prior to the transmission. When the priority route is changed, the transmission route determining means then identifies the new priority communication route for the instant communication.
It is also preferable, when the address is selected by the address selecting means, to also provide a priority order display means that displays the unique priority order which is registered for the aforementioned address. This is so that the user can easily perform an evaluation of whether the priority order changing means should be activated by displaying how the priority order was registered initially.
To improve the operation of the facsimile apparatus, not only is it desirable to permit a change in the priority route of an individual transmission, it is also preferred that the invention permit changing the priority order for the communication routes to an addressee on a permanent basis, i.e., re-register the priority order, based on a change in circumstances at the receiver or addressee.
The invention also has an object of, in a facsimile device that corresponds via an internet and which can transmit using both a public communication switched network and the internet, improving the rate of image information arriving at a receiver while minimizing the operations required of the user. Additionally, the invention has another object of, in a facsimile device that corresponds via the internet, and which is connected to the Internet via a server, improving the rate of image information arriving at the receiver or addressee, while minimizing the operations required of the operator.
Thus, the facsimile apparatus of the invention, which includes a first transmission means that transmits image information via the internet and a second transmission means that transmits image information via the normal public communication switched network, further includes switching/re-transmitting means which, when the facsimile apparatus transmits the image information by one of the first transmitting means and the second transmitting means to a receiver or addressee that can receive communications through both the public communication switched network and the internet, and the image information cannot correctly reach the receiver when transmitted by the one transmitting means, automatically switches to the other transmitting means and transmits the image information. Therefore, the arrival rate of image data at the receiver or addressee that can receive image information through both the public communication switched network and the internet can be improved, while minimizing the operations by the sender, or operator of the transmitting facsimile apparatus.
Additionally, the facsimile apparatus, that transmits image information through the internet via a specified server, also includes automatic confirming means which, after the transmission has been performed by the transmitting means, automatically proceeds to confirm whether a non-delivery notice or a delivery notice has arrived at the server; and
automatic re-transmitting means which, when it is determined by the automatic confirming means that a non-delivery notice has arrived at the server, or that, even though a specified time has elapsed, a delivery notice has not arrived, performs re-transmission of the image information by the transmitting means.
Thus, after transmission has been performed by the transmitting means, even if the sender does not go to confirm whether a non-delivery notice or delivery notice has arrived at the server, the automatic confirming means proceeds to confirm whether a non-delivery notice or delivery notice has arrived at the server. When a non-delivery notice has arrived at the server, or when a delivery notice has not arrived even though a specified period of time has elapsed, the automatic retransmitting means retransmits the image information via the transmitting means. As a result, when image information has not correctly arrived at the receiver or addressee, retransmission processing is automatically executed even though the sender does not perform a retransmitting operation, and the rate of arrival of image information via the internet can be improved.
Alternatively, the facsimile apparatus, which has the automatic confirming means that, after transmission has been performed by the first transmitting means to a receiver or addressee that can receive through both the public communication switched network and the internet, automatically proceeds to confirm whether a non-delivery notice or a delivery notice has arrived at the server; and switching/re-transmitting means which, when it is confirmed by the automatic confirming means that a non-delivery notice has arrived at the server, or that, even though a specified time has elapsed, a delivery notice has not arrived, switches to the second transmitting means and re-transmits the image information using the second transmitting means.
In this mode, when the first transmitting means is initially selected and image information is transmitted to a receiver that can receive image information through both a public communication switched network and the internet but the image information has not arrived, the automatic confirming means automatically detects the situation by going to the server to confirm whether the information arrived, and the switching/re-transmitting means automatically switches to transmission by the second transmitting means via the public communication switched network and transmits the image information. As a result, the sender or operator is spared the trouble of going to the server to confirm whether the receiver has received the electronic mail, and when the information does not arrive at the addressee, the invention, by automatically switching to transmission through the public communication switched network, can improve the rate of arrival of the information at the addressee.
Additionally, the invention includes individual number-of-retransmission setting means that individually sets a number of re-transmissions for each of the first transmitting means and the second transmitting means; and switching/re-transmitting means which, when image information cannot reach a receiver or addressee that can receive through both the public communication switched network and the internet, even though transmission has been repeated by one of the first transmitting means and the second transmitting means according to the setting of the individual number-of-retransmission setting means, automatically switches to the other transmitting means and re-transmits the image information.
Thus, by providing an individual number-of-retransmission setting means, the number of retries, which, for example, is the number of times that retransmission will automatically be attempted via the internet, can be set to a value higher than the number of redials of a conventional line network. As a result, the rate of the retry ending without a connection ever being made when transmission is performed via the internet can be decreased, and the arrival rate of image information can be improved. Moreover, when the receiver can receive through both the internet and the public communication switched network, when one of the public communication switched network and the internet is chosen and transmission is performed but the redialing ends or the retries end, the switching/re-transmitting means operates and switches to the other transmitting means. This also improves the rate of arrival of image transmission.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a facsimile apparatus including an image reading device that reads image information from a document, a storage device that stores receiver, or addressee, specifying information that specifies a receiver of the image information read by the image reading device, corresponding to the receiver, a selection device that enables selection of the receiver from information stored in the storage device, a transmission device that transmits the image information read by the image reading device to the receiver selected by the selection device through a communication route, on the basis of the receiver specifying information, and an instruction device that provides an instruction to transmit the image information to the receiver selected by the selection device through at least two different communication routes. Upon the instruction from the instruction device, the transmission device transmits the image information to the receiver through the at least two different communication routes, on the basis of the receiver specifying information stored in the storage device in correspondence to the receiver selected by the selection device.
In this facsimile apparatus, the instruction device provides the instruction to transmit the image information read from a document by the image reading device to the receiver selected by the selection device through at least two different communication routes. Upon the instruction from the instruction device, the transmission device of the facsimile apparatus transmits the image information through the at least two different communication routes, on the basis of the receiver specifying information stored in the storage device in correspondence with the receiver selected by the selection device.
In short, if the instruction is provided to transmit the image information through the at least two different communication routes, the facsimile apparatus can automatically transmit the image information through the at least two communication routes.
Therefore, the facsimile apparatus eliminates the need for an operator to perform an operation of switching from one communication route to another, thereby simplifying the operations that need to be performed by a user.
The at least two different communication routes include a communication route via an internet, and a public communication switched network which is not via the internet. The access to the internet may be via a local area network, through a computer linked to the facsimile apparatus, or directly from the facsimile to an internet service provider, or any other communication structure known to one skilled in the art. The storage device stores at least one of a mail address that specifies the receiver, or addressee, for the transmission of the image information through the communication route via the internet and a facsimile number that specifies the receiver for the transmission of the image information through the public communication switched network, in correspondence with the receiver. The facsimile apparatus further includes a determination device that, upon the instruction from the instruction device, determines whether both the mail address and the facsimile number are stored in the storage device in correspondence with the receiver selected by the selection device and/or their order of priority. If the determination device determines that both the mail address and the facsimile number are stored in correspondence with the selected receiver, the transmission device transmits the image information through both the communication route via the internet and the public communication switched network.
The facsimile apparatus having such a structure is suitable if the apparatus is connected to the communication route via the internet and the public communication switched network.
For transmission through the communication route via the internet and the public communication switched network, the mail address and the facsimile number of the receiver of the transmission must be provided.
In the above-described structure, the storage device stores at least one of a mail address and a facsimile number in correspondence with a receiver. If both the mail address and the facsimile number of a receiver are stored in the storage device, the facsimile apparatus can transmit image information to the receiver through both communication routes on the basis of the mail address and the facsimile number of the receiver.
If the instruction device provides the instruction, the determination device determines whether both the mail address and the facsimile number are stored in the storage device in correspondence with the receiver selected by the selection device.
In short, the determination device determines whether transmission of image information through the two communication routes is possible.
If the determination device determines that both the mail address and the facsimile number of the receiver selected by the selection device are stored in the storage device, the facsimile apparatus transmits the image information to the receiver through the communication route via the internet and the public communication switched network.
The facsimile apparatus of the invention may further include a notification device that, if the determination device determines that only one of the mail address and the facsimile number is stored in correspondence with the receiver selected by the selection device, notifies that it is impossible to transmit the image information through the at least two communication routes.
Upon the notification provided by the notification device, an operator of the facsimile apparatus becomes aware that the transmission of the image information through the two communication routes is impossible. Therefore, the operator can immediately take other action. For example, if the facsimile number of the receiver is stored in the storage device, the operator can operate the facsimile apparatus to transmit the image information through the public communication switched network.
The facsimile apparatus of the invention may further have a structure as follows. An e-mail transmission device that transmits an e-mail via the internet is provided. If the image information is to be transmitted through the communication route via the internet, the image information is attached to an e-mail, and then transmitted together with the e-mail to the receiver specified by the mail address.
By attaching image information to an e-mail and transmitting the e-mail, the facsimile apparatus can easily transmit the image information.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a storage medium storing computer programs including a program for controlling a facsimile apparatus including an image reading device that reads image information from a document, a storage device that stores receiver specifying information that specifies a receiver of the image information read by the image reading device, corresponding to the receiver, a selection device that enables selection of the receiver from information stored in the storage device, and a transmission device that transmits the image information read by the image reading device to the receiver selected by the selection device, through a communication route, on the basis of the receiver specifying information. The computer programs stored in the storage medium further include an instruction program for providing an instruction to transmit the image information read by the image reading device to the receiver selected by the selection device through at least two different communication routes, and a transmission control program for, if the instruction is provided by the instruction program, transmitting the image information through the at least two different communication routes on the basis of the receiver specifying information stored in correspondence with the receiver selected by the selection device.
The object of the invention can also be achieved by the storage medium. For example, if the facsimile apparatus is connected to a computer that is able to control the operating condition of the facsimile apparatus, the instruction and the transmission control as described above can be realized by installing the programs from the recording medium into the computer.